A film about the poet Theodore Roethke in which he imparts his views on the sources and functions of poetry, his approach to writing poetry, and biographical information of interest. Mr. Roethke reads and recites some of his works which illustrate the author's conviction that a poet should reveal every aspect of his nature. Pictures him among the cluttered paraphernalia of his home and in the classroom responding to his students. Includes selections from "The Adamant," "My Pappa's Waltz," "Dolor," "Cuttings, later," "The Walking," "The Sloth," "Elegy for Jane," "To An Amorous Woman," "In a Dark Time," "The Abyss," "Light Listened," "A Rouse for Wallace Stevens," "Gob Music," and "Once More for the Road."